


Firmness and Restraint

by Alixtii



Series: Watcher!verse [23]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The West Wing, West Wing
Genre: Abandoned WIP, Black Thorn, Butterfly Effect, Episode Related, Episode: s05e22 Not Fade Away, Female Characters, Gen, Oval Office, Past Tense, Washington D.C.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-01-29
Updated: 2006-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-06 01:42:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alixtii/pseuds/Alixtii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"An act of terrorism totally outside the bounds of international law and diplomatic tradition. . . . a crisis [that] calls for firmness and restraint." – Jimmy Carter</p><p>The Bartlet administration responds to the events of "Not Fade Away."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Firmness and Restraint

**Author's Note:**

> **Timeline/Continuity:** Immediately after "Not Fade Away." I figured out where this would be in _West Wing_ continuity, but then I forget what I figured out. Anywhere the two canons might contradict, Buffyverse canon trumps.

“But it’s so small.”

“That’s sort of the point, Donna.”

“But a butterfly? You’re telling me that a butterfly in Singapore can change the weather in New York. I don’t buy it.”

“You don’t have to buy it,” Josh answered. “But that doesn’t make it any less true.”

“But how?”

Josh shrugged. “I don’t know. It flaps its wings and the weather fairies fly to New York. And next thing you know, it’s raining in Central Park.”

Leo watched the scene with an amused smirk, but knew that he had to break in sooner or later. He knew from experience that the two could go on like this for hours without even noticing his presence. He coughed, loudly and pointedly.

“Leo,” said Josh as he noticed the Chief of Staff’s presence. “Is there a problem?”

“Senator Brucker was just assassinated.”

“Oh,” said Josh, putting his head in his hands. “Damn!” There was a pause, then he said, “Donna, could you get the Vaweski file?”

“It’s on your desk.”

Josh looked down at his desk and at what was presumably the Vaweski file. “Well, could you get the Dusteri report?”

Donna made a face but exited the office. Leo closed the door behind her.

“Would it be inappropriate for me to say, ‘Ding, dong, the witch is dead’?” asked Josh.

Leo tried to look grave. “She was a demon, Josh, not a witch.”

“Oh, because we so have to worry about losing our Wiccan constituency,” Josh said. “Everyone knows that magic-using pagans are just looking for an excuse to vote Republican.”

“She was a Democrat, Josh.”

“She was a demon. She represented everything are against in this world.”

“Which doesn’t change the fact that she was a Democratic senator in a contested race, and is now going to be replaced with some right-wing appointee. She was assassinated in her own office and her entire staff wiped out.”

“Her staff of vampires was wiped out, you mean.”

“The president is going to have to make some type of statement.”

“So go to Toby. The fact that he never met the woman will make it all that easier to make up flattering lies about her.”

“I already have. But we’re talking about a member of the Black Thorn, Josh. This isn’t going to be the end of this.”

“Have you talked to Wolfram &amp; Hart?”

Leo nodded. “The D.C. branch doesn’t know what’s going on. No one does, actually.”

* * * * *

Samantha Finn entired the Oval Office behind Leo McGarry to see Josiah Bartlet seated behind the archetpyal desk.

“Forgive me, Major Finn, if I say that I’m less than thrilled to see you here. It seems that whenever I see you in anything other than an evening gown, it’s an apocalypse of some sort.”

“Don’t forget the Santiago incident, sir,” Sam reminded him. “An evening gown’s not a surefire guarantee.”

President Bartlet turned to Leo. “Los Angeles?” he asked.

“Los Angeles,” Leo confirmed.

The president nodded. “With Sunnydale out of the picture, it was basically between it and Cleveland. So what do we know?”

“Not much, sir,” Sam reported.

“Best guess is Hell, sir.”

“Of course.” Bartlet rose and Sam Finn followed him and Mr. McGarry out of the Oval Office, and away to fight a war against _real_ terror.

**Author's Note:**

> [2+ LJ Comments](http://alixtii.livejournal.com/60943.html#comments)


End file.
